JOY

These things I have spoken to you so that your joy may be full John 15:1

God is present. God is here. God is with us. God is closer than you think. Where you are there is God also.

All lovely statements of the fact that where ever we are God is! These thoughts passed through my mind from the sacred space and they gave me a great sense of presence and joy, yes joy. A joy that runs deep within and I ask myself just how near is God? As close as the 'voice' of the bird songs; in the rhythm of the great chorus of the cicadas in full voice on hot days leading up to Christmas; in the perfume of the jasmine on the fence and in the colours of the pansies clustered  along the garden edges. There, there is the answer as to how close God is and my heart is full of joy. ' Joy,' says Wayne Brighton, 'merges from the presence of God.'

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                 A joy and a delight.

Ah, its all like heaven on earth.

How many are your works O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104.

 I was gathering my thoughts as I sat in my sacred space, some not ready to harvest yet and others bursting in want of life and in the stillness, in the quiet, the echo of the Storm Bird was the song of the morning.

 How blessed are we I thought, to be able to sit in quiet and stillness in a garden full of God's creation, a space where he has painted a garden of all colours, shapes and sizes and the joy this gives not only to me and passers by but to the bees, the ladybirds, the beetles, the caterpillars, the butterflies and the birds and somehow my presence in that space makes me one with it all. Ah, its all like heaven on earth and I wished I could stay put there forever. I wonder where is your heaven on earth and where is your sacred space for occasional idle time in prayerful thought? Where do you pause with God from the business of life? 

Lord, let your face shine upon us.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

The flowers and the bees.

God's treasures.

 The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

It is so powerful and humbling to be aware of God's presence in our everyday life and catch a glimpse of his work. On one particular occasion I recall being in a rural setting where kangaroos and birds of many varieties were in abundance. As I sat on a granite outcrop at dawn, half way up a hill, I surveyed the panorama of deep blue rugged  Mountains - distant ones snow capped. There were rabbits, almost at my feet and kookaburras laughing ever so loud in the trees above me and God graced me with a briar bush full of blue wrens. I wrote in my note book: Today I have been blessed at the start of the day with a chorus of kookaburras and I have been amongst God's treasures. For me he opened the lid of his treasure chest and let a few come out and I thanked him yet again. Suddenly, in a breath taking response, he gave me a few more - a beautiful blue orchid  among the granite and brier. I thought of our powerful, mighty God who created rugged mountains yet can also create a delicate wild orchid. Little do we realise, sometimes, that the glory and power of he who made the universe lies hidden in a tiny flower.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.     Anne,  servant of the Lord.

                                                Made by God.

A nest of twigs

 God be in my eyes and in my looking. Sarum Prime 1527.

There is a holiness and a sacredness in those moments when the fading night and rising dawn meet. Its a 'thin ' space and the quietness of those moments are the quietest of all quiet. Sacred, holy, and from my sacred space I listen to the quietness and I just want to be there, in the moment, not seeking to be elsewhere or urged to hurry along and had I not heeded that urge I would have missed the tangle of sticks  in the fork of a branch  of the gumtree, so high up, a hidden nest where a miracle had occurred, where baby birds were born, and their tiny heads were peering over the rim of the nest, mouths open wide in expectation of breakfast.  

May we never miss the ordinary things of life from dawn breaking into day and nests of twigs with baby birds looking expectantly for breakfast.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                        A nest of twigs.

so glorious, so beautiful, so lovely.

' Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.' It is to him and about him that we sing. Ephesians 5:19

Is there nothing so glorious, so beautiful, so lovely as the sound and sight  of the magpies warbling in beautiful harmony together breaking the silence of the new day. What a blessing to behold. What joy that puts a smile on my face before I even reach the sacred space to take in the numerous blessings around me. I pause, I listen and I thank God for all his wonderful creation but especially the melodious sound of the magpies warbling at the break of day. J.E.Tada says: 'That joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  Be my help, my  strength and my song today.'

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Sing to the Lord

Transported to heaven.

 My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5

Well I can say that my eyes have seen you, as from my sacred space I see the glory - the absolute glory of the Lord in a green rose bush so covered with roses that its dazzling!  They have  positioned themselves in such a way on the bush that its like a cascade of colour and styles. Some are just buds, others more open and yet others fading from a full flush. It makes me want to sing that lovely hymn, 'Glorious things of thee are spoken.' I venture forward. I touch a rose. I smell a rose, and thank God for the joy and delight it brings me, this glory of his creation. So today, stop and smell the roses and you will be transported into heaven.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Cascading down the bush.

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Oh how good.

All creation praises God. Psalm 148.

From my sacred space in the warming sun of the early morning I notice the glorious roses have arrived to join in the spring parade. They are dressed in skirts of peach, deep yellow. velvety red and soft pink and are full of pockets of perfume. Oh, how good are the delights of spring - Oh, how good is the feel of the suns warmth, the sound of the singing birds, the quiet and the peace.

Ann Renni would say: 'Have you made a list of the things you love? Consider the small wonders and ordinary joys of your life, the holy in the humdrum, God in all things, the blessings of simply being alive each day in a world that offers so much.'

Mane Nobiscum Domine - Remain with us Lord.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

Beautiful skirts.

It doesn't have to be a blue iris.

 O Master let me walk with thee. (TIS 601)

God created, formed and coloured for us to enjoy, not to rush by without even an awareness. To slow down the pace and enjoy more of the moments of creation around us is a true blessing. To walk a garden  path and see the glory it holds on its boarders of flowers, not just to notice them but to see the uniqueness of their creation or walk a bush track dotted with wild flowers and native grasses. To tune ones ears to the call of the birds. The moment is where you capture the beauty, where you have that sense of being blessed, when your heart stirs within you.  The moment is when you see what could have been missed and the moment is when you thank God for what he has revealed. Mary Oliver would say: 'It doesn't have to be a blue iris, it could be a weed on a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together into thanks.'

May the Lord of life bless you and keep you always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                        Blue Iris

The splendour, the magic.

 A Thousand Hallelujahs we magnify your name. You alone deserve the glory, the honour and the praise. (Hymn by Brooke Ligertwood.)

The splendour, the magic, the theatre of spring; exploding buds, glorious colour, and busy bees, a wonder from my sacred space. It's all happening under the umbrella of 'creator God,' a window into his sacred presence.  I read a quote which said 'beauty in creation is harnessed to the heart.' and it is, so much so that it inspires me into prayer and I say, 'Bless us as we respond to your prophetic maxim:' There where you are you will find God.' (A.Remie)

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    The splendour of spring.

Spring glory

Join with all nature in unspoken witness to your great faithfulness, mercy and love. TIS 154

What is the glory attached to Spring? Need we ask. Just take a look about you. There is the soft fading mist of a warming mornings, tiny pearls of dew drops on the greening grass and new surprises every morning are the blooms in the garden and the blossom decorated trees some holding a carpet of petals all about them and the sky is  vast and blue. This is the glory of spring in the gift of a new day. Blessed are we to have the quiet of a sacred space to just sit, and be, and be loved by God in all that is about us as the morning soft mist rises over his creation.  Let our praise to God be forever and may peace fall like rain on our troubled world.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.          Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                A carpet of blooms

Stay awhile, love the moment

 Dear mother earth, who day by day unfold rich blessings on our way. All flowers and fruit that in you grow, let them his glory also show - O praise him. (TIS 100)

The depth and iridescent colour of the tulips was mesmerizing. Rows and rows of them in the glorious gardens of Tulip Tops. They were captivating and I thought, how does God do this? How does he not only create the plant and  the variety of colours but also the brightness of them. He must have a grand paint palate and I said to  myself in quiet meditation, don't rush, stay awhile and love the moment - Ah, just do it, love the moment.  I recall this saying: 'Each day is charged with the grandeur of God in its most resplendent moments and in its small wonders and incidental delights.' (Annon)  Don't rush wherever you are, stay awhile and love the moment.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.           Anne, servant of the Lord. 

Love the moment.

Raise our praise!

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies...….Christ, our God to you we raise this our sacrifice of praise. (TIS 137)

 Breath-taking design, colour and fragrance hangs around the spring gardens and captures my heart. Such beauty, such creation and its all dressed up in the beautiful sunshine of a new day and the blossom trees, O how they bless us with their glorious clusters of colour, a haven for the bees and honey eaters, and a joy for us to behold. O the love of God and the  words of a hymn come to mind: From the highest of heights to the depth of the sea creation's revealing your majesty. From the colours of fall to the fragrance of spring every creature  unique in the song that it sings... You are amazing God. 

As you bless us with light at the suns rising, shine on us now with love.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Glorious things of thee are spoken.

Wild wind.

 Wind, wind blow on me. (New Harvest 226)

It was a bit precarious in the sacred space with a wild wind blowing around me, remnants of autumn leaves swirling around  and the trees were shedding small branches that flew like kites in the uptake of the wind and others rolled across the lawn tossing and turning and tiny birds clutched the tree branches with match stick size pinions. It was indeed a  strong wind and it reminded me of the saying by P Wilding: ' Wind of God blow strong, blow fresh, blow now.' 

Mane Nobiscum Domine -  Remain with us Lord.  Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                    Swerling autumn leaves.

Fields of Vineyards

 'I am the true vine and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no  fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit'. John 15:1-2

In driving past  'fields of vineyards' I was drawn to stop and pause, to just sit and look because I was suddenly engulfed with the words of John, 'I am the  true vine .' It's a real God moment when that happens. And what struck me in this moment was that there was something different about the vineyard today. Through the soft morning mist there was a sense of order and freshness, like an expectation, a waiting. The vines were trimmed, pruned and tidied, stripped of all the unwanted branches and the undergrowth with the rows of grasses and weeds freshly mown and there was a wonderful look of improvement, of having been 'tidied up ' and I knew the vine-grower had been and away across the fields I could see the worker in the next vineyard, pruning, trimming, and cutting and there was a sense of preparation.

Isn't it wonderful when the gospel leaps out at you in daily life?

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

Pruned to make more fruit.

Breath taking.

 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, bow down before him, his glory proclaim. TIS 454

What words can we use to describe the beauty and breath-taking sights, smell and colour of spring? How can we describe the 'leap' in our heart when the first buds of the  blossom trees begin to open and cover the trees with a canopy of sweet smelling blooms?  As I walk through the garden I am blessed with bright yellow daffodils, heads nodding in the breeze and how can one not smile at their happiness!  Its like a 'fashion parade' in the garden - golden daffodils, blue, purple, pink,  and white violets, and the pink and white daphne. Its all not just a parade of colour  with  a sight for the eyes to behold but it comes with the double blessings of perfume and joy  that takes your breath away.  How creative, how beyond our understanding are the works of God showered upon us and I reflect that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.      Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Golden daffodils. 

and the kookaburra laughed.

 To God belongs the East and the West and wherever you turn, there is the face of God. Qur'an Surah 2

Stop and step aside awhile and take a retreat from daily life it is so refreshing, so life giving, so precious and there is a sharpness in shape and colour  about all that is around you that somehow you don't see in the business of life. The dew laden grass splatted with the blue of busy Wrens, silent mist covered hills, and wild grasses bending in the breeze, frolicking, playful  baby lambs and their quietly grazing mothers, green vivid shoots of the merging Canola crops, some already tipped in their yellow flowers  and a Kookaburra, winding up his laugh until he gets it out as full laughter  O that makes me smile! and  there, standing tall and silent are the kangaroos, the sentinels of the closing day which is painted in pink and red.  Peaceful, quiet, heavenly, a sacred space.

When we stop we find you, when we look we see you, and when we  listen we hear you.  

May God be with you always and more so in the sacred spaces.  Anne, servant of the Lord.                                         

                                                    Peace!

Come to the Father

When you come near here remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Exodus 3:5

The  morning comes scattering the darkness and covering the day with soft  light and what better place to start it than in a sacred space that is responding to a murmuring deep within  you saying 'come to the Father.' And what joys await. I think one of the greatest yet simplest  spiritual acts we can do is to spend time in silence with our Lord and lo, what peace and richness lies within it. There rises from my sacred space the beautiful rich God made perfume of the Daphne flowers crowding its bush, the perfume of God. I remember an  elderly lady once asked me in a little note she left for me in the nursing home chapel, she said:' Tell me, can you smell God, because this space today was filled with such a beautiful fragrance that the only way I could describe it was, it had to be from God.'  There is something about sacred spaces, they are places where God is- waiting- begging us- to join him.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            The perfume of God.

Speak to me of God.

 O God, you have taught me from my youth, and I proclaim your wonders still. Psalm 71:17

Its a cold, cold winter, one that seems like the frost gets right into your bones but the days are glorious and -  did I see it? Did I really see it? Yes, there it is the white with a  pink tinge of the Almond blossom peeping out of the bud in which its been snug all winter. A hint, a touch of the coming spring. Ah, the blessed  beauty, blessed God in creation.  I love this quote I first read many years ago by Nikos Kazantzakis: "I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God ,' and the almond tree blossomed."

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

God dressed in almond blossoms.

Draw me in Lord.

For God alone my soul waits in silence. Ps62:1

The naked trees are still. The Grevilia bush, loaded with clusters of honey filled flowers is still, empty of hungry, excited Wattle Birds, the air is so still and the sky is the soft blue of morning light. The birds are still asleep and the face of God is in everything I see and I am touched with the incense of the flowering Daphne and from my sacred space I can feel God drawing me in, drawing  me into himself and resting in the God space of my heart. Its fuel for the day ahead, its set me on the right path for the day, its a warm feeling to fall back on when things are hard and tricky in the day. Its the presence of God travelling with me. Oh not  to be missed, those precious sustaining moments with God. They are yours, they are mine, they are free.

Mane Nobiscum Domine. - Remain with us Lord.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

For God alone my soul waits in silence.

My, they are a marvel to see.

 

Come my heart says, seek his face, your face Lord do I seek:  Psalm 27. 8

In the afternoon walk I set myself a mediative goal, to see what hidden blessings I can find and have a talk with Jesus about my discoveries. I mean, look at those acorns on the ground then look at the mighty tree they have fallen from, who would imagine such a tiny thing could grow into such a tree and there, just there in a patch of the grass on the common ground is a beautiful deep purple violet, standing alone, far from its home bunch in some nearby garden, and the King Parrots, my, they are a marvel to see dressed in ever so bright red and green beautifully groomed feathers. I wonder, I just wonder what joy God must have had in creating colour, shape and images for us and how many of them we pause to marvel at. I read this little reflection: 'In the tiny petal of a tiny flower that grew from a tiny pod is the miracle and the mystery of all creation and God.' 

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Beauty in  a field of common ground.